Front of the Pack: 5 Ways the Poole Community is Leading

The NC State Poole College of Management is stronger than ever.

In the fall of 2022, Poole College led the university in the growth in the number of applications received and welcomed the largest freshman class in our school’s history. In 2023, we broke the record again and had over 6,000 undergraduate applications. The only college at the university to receive more applications was the College of Engineering.

Demand for the Poole College of Management’s high quality, high value business education is growing at the graduate level, as well. To meet market demand, Poole College launched in fall 2022 the Master of Management, Risk and Analytics (MRA), which followed the Master of Management, Marketing Analytics (MMA), launched the previous fall. 

Demand for the Poole College of Management’s high quality, high value business education is growing at the undergraduate and graduate levels, despite the overall decline in the U.S. college enrollment.

Our rankings also continue to climb. Our undergraduate, MBA and MAC programs are recognized among the best in the country — and notably NC State is heralded as the No. 6 best value among public universities nationally (U.S. News & World Report).

We are proud to see our students and alumni putting Think and Do into practice in their communities and work.

What about the Poole College of Management is distinguishing us from b-schools across the country?

1. Poole College is part of NC State – a leading land-grant, STEM university.

Poole College is rooted in NC State University’s historic strengths as a leading STEM and research institution.

As a vibrant land-grant, research-driven business school, we have a duty to open the doors of education for everyone, with a mission of giving back to our state and improving the lives of its citizens. It also means that our goal is to put applied research in people’s hand––and use what we know for the good of all.

Today, NC State is ranked in the top 1% of universities worldwide.

Poole faculty and staff capitalize on those strengths and intentionally extend them to the business environment through hundreds of industry partnerships.

2. Poole is known for entrepreneurship and business analytics excellence.

The most successful business schools regularly engage with employers to keep a pulse on the needs of the workforce – including today’s and tomorrow’s. Poole College’s industry partners are shouting for “more talent with experience in analytics,” as well as an entrepreneurial, growth-oriented mindset in their future employees. These insights from industry inform our curriculum and ensure we graduate students with the skills, background and knowledge needed to make an immediate impact in the workforce.

Today, Poole College is ranked No. 1 in entrepreneurship in the southeast (The Princeton Review, 2022), and No. 17 in business analytics in the nation (U.S. News & World Report, 2023). Additionally, our students who completed the Business Analytics Honors Program report a 20% higher salary compared to other business students.

3. Raleigh is one of the best places for careers.

Welcome to Raleigh, North Carolina – consistently rated one of the best places to live, work and play. In fact, Raleigh is ranked by Forbes as the best place for business and careers, in addition to being one of the world’s top five emerging tech hubs.

4. We learn by doing.

Research shows that students who participate in high-impact experiences are more career-ready and see better job market outcomes. We create the opportunity for all of our students to participate in project-based courses, global experiences, student organizations, student leadership positions, research projects and more during their time in Poole through the Poole Pathways framework. Our graduates don’t just leave with a diploma… they leave with a resume. 

5. We intentionally create a supportive and inclusive community.

Poole is a students-first college. More than a place to learn, the college is a place to grow a strong personal identity and develop meaningful relationships with others. We have several heritage celebrations and identity-affirming events throughout the year to create an inclusive environment for all. Not only that, we have a team of in-house advisors and career support professionals committed to students’ success while at Poole and long after graduation.